Aventura Arts & Cultural Center comes alive in October

The brand new Aventura Arts & Cultural Center comes alive with programming for all ages during its debut month in October. A star-studded grand opening celebration and a vibrant “Curtain Up” event highlight a month filled with ballet performances, family fun and more.

No tickets are required for the free family-orientated “Curtain Up” which takes place on Sun., Oct. 17th between noon and 4 p.m. Designed to give the local community a behind-the-scenes view, the event will feature guided tours and performances by Next Step Dance, Arts Ballet Theater of Florida, Duelling Divas, International Piano Festival and Alhambra String Quartet, as well puppeteers, mimes and other entertainers.

Two-time Tony® Award winner Patti LuPone performs in Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda…..Played That Part as the gala opening concert on Sat., Oct. 23rd. One of the greatest performers in modern musical theater, LuPone swept the 2008 theater awards winning the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress in a Musical and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance for her role as Rose in the critically-acclaimed Broadway production of Gypsy. She also won the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the title role of Evita. Grand opening festivities kick off October 23rd at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by the concert at 8 p.m. Wachovia/Wells Fargo, Aventura Mall and Suffolk Construction are the main sponsors of the grand opening. Tickets are $185 per person and include the cocktail reception and performance.

Sticks and Stones is presented as a Smart Stage Matinee on Mon., Oct. 25th at 10 and 11:30 a.m. This one-woman musical uses music, poetry and video projection to teach children about the critical effects of bullying. The show is commissioned by the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and funded by the United States Department of Justice. Tickets are $10 with $3 lap tickets available for infants 12 months and under.

Tickets, group discounts and scheduling information for all performances are available through the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center’s box office at 954-462-0222 or online at AventuraCenter.org. The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center is located at 3385 N.E. 188th Street in Aventura.